


Winter Wonderland

by Starkquillstardust



Series: Steve, Billy, and Conflicted Emotions [2]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Billy is really messed up but hes getting better, Boys In Love, F/M, M/M, Snow, So is Hopper, Steve is there to help, Winter fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-08
Updated: 2017-12-08
Packaged: 2019-02-12 06:10:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12953022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starkquillstardust/pseuds/Starkquillstardust
Summary: Billy doesn't show up for Christmas Dinner, Hopper and Joyce go out to find him. Steve and Billy bond in the snow.





	Winter Wonderland

**Author's Note:**

> Unbeta'd because I'm trash and don't want to bother other people.

“I literally ask him to do one thing, and he apparently can't even do that,” Hopper sighs out of exasperation more than actual anger.

It's December twenty-third and Hopper had planned a dinner for their whole group. All the kids, Nancy, Jonathan, and Joyce were going to be there. They'd even invited Steve but he'd declined, saying he wasn't really comfortable with it, much to Dustin's disappointment. 

Everyone was present. Everyone but Billy.

“I'm sure he's just running late,” Joyce reasons after she's done pouring a drink for Will, “He's come so far since you took him and Max in, he wouldn't skip without reason.” Hopper just grunts and continues making his plate.

They're all done eating and are sitting around the tv when he decides to go out and find him. It'd been snowing nonstop for a while and he was starting to get worried 

“It's been almost two hours,” He says as he stands and runs a hand through Jane's hair as he passes, “I'm going out to find him.”

“I'll come too,” Joyce stands and walks over to grab her hat and jacket, “Nancy, Jonathan, you two are in charge while we're out,” She kisses Will on the forehead, “If we're out for more than an hour go ahead and get everyone settled,” She says to Jonathan and then joins Hopper by the door.

“We'll be back soon,” He says and holds the door open for Joyce. It's freezing outside and the whole world seems to be covered in snow, “At least it's pretty,” He grumbles and Joyce hums.

He pulls his pack of cigarettes and passes one to Joyce as he starts the vehicle. She accepts it with a smile and they both settle as they drive through the snow.

“How's he doing by the way?” Joyce speaks up after a minute or so. The cold air is making her nose pink and her cheeks flush. Hopper thinks she's beautiful, “After his dad and all that.”

Hopper just sighs and takes another drag before answering, “He's such a quiet kid. When he's not quiet he's angry and when he's not angry he's like a vacant body. He spends most of his time either locked in his room or out god knows where with god knows who,” He huffs and takes another drag, “He doesn't talk to Jane much, talks to Max even less,” He hesitates and taps his hands on the steering wheel, “I raised my voice at him last week and he flinched,” Joyce looks over at him with a sympathetic frown, “He hasn't looked me in the eyes since.”

They sit in silence for a while, cold air chilling their faces while smoke fills their lungs. Joyce reaches over and clasps their hands together. Hopper smiles at the warmth it sends through his body.

“You're still doing an amazing job with them,” She whispers and Hopper swallows thickly before focusing solely on the winter wonderland before him.

They drive in silence after that. There doesn't seem to be anyone else out, probably because of the mixture of snow and darkness. Hopper can feel the worry set in.

Almost fifteen minutes after they've left the house Hopper spots headlights shining through the woods. He pulls over cautiously and he and Joyce get out of the vehicle.

They walk a small distance before Billy's blue Camaro comes into view, shining its lights on a small patch of open space covered in snow. 

It's Joyce who sees Billy first and she pulls Hopper behind a tree so they can observe without being noticed.

Billy stands in the middle of the clearing, wrapped from head to toe in warm clothes. He's looking around him silently as he kicks the snow almost curiously. A door slams and Christmas music begins to play from the Camaro as another person walks through the snow towards Billy. The new comer is dressed in a lot less than Billy, probably more accustomed to the cold weather than the California-born, but still looks warm.

“It's beautiful,” The person speaks up over the music as they reach down to scoop snow into their hand.

“It's freezing,” Billy responds with a shrug, bouncing slightly to keep warm, “It doesn't do it like this in California.”

The other person doesn't say anything back as they pat the snow in their hands into a small ball, “You get use to it,” They say once it's apparently perfect and then chuck it at Billy.

It catches him in the chest right as he turns around to reply. He completely freezes as he stares at the white spot on his jacket, “What the fuck?” It's more curious than offended.

The other person already has another snowball made by then and it makes another splatter of white on Billy's chest. Their laughter fills the air and Hopper tries to place the other person’s voice.

Billy retaliates by picking up snow and trying to throw it as is, only for it to float gently back to the ground, “What the fuck?” He exclaims again and kicks the snow.

“You have to harden it, idiot,” The other person laughs as they collect snow for another attack. They never get to though because a moment later Billy is tackling them to the ground, “Ack!”

They roll around in the snow for a moment, both fighting to stay on top, until the other person’s hat and scarf are pull off revealing, to both Joyce and Hopper’s surprise, Steve Harrington. They sit in the snow, Billy holding onto Steve's hips from where he'd ended up on top, while their breath fogs around them. Neither of them move as they catch their breath.

“Now it's beautiful,” Billy says as he brushes his fingers through the snow stuck to Steve's jacket. Steve catches his fingers and pulls them closer.

“You look good in the snow,” He compliments, voice barely making it to where the adults are still concealed.

Steve rolls off of Billy so they're laying side by side in the snow, legs tangled and shoulders pressed together. They're a real sight to see; “enemies” sharing warmth, surrounded by snow. Hopper can't fight through his confusion but Joyce has a small smile on her face as she leans into Hopper.

“Why didn't you want to come to the dinner?” Billy asks after a while, voice soft, almost silent under the wind.

“I could ask you the same,” Steve deflects as he sits up and shakes snow out of his hair.

Billy doesn't move. Snow begins falling again and he reaches his hand up to catch it as it goes, “I don't belong there,” He starts and Steve sighs.

“Billy, you know that's not true.”

“No, I don't,” Billy continues, voice vacant of emotions, “Max and Jane became sisters so easy, they just fit, ya know? But me?” His hand drops to his side and he falls silent. Steve doesn't speak up, he just looks down at his companion, waiting patiently, “I guess I'm just waiting for Hopper to figure out whatever Neil did. To see the disappointment, anger, in his eyes. I'm waiting for that first blow and,” He stops again. Hopper’s breath catches in his throat, “and, I don't know, I guess I just can't relax until it happens.”

Joyce rubs a hand up and down Hopper’s back as he slumps slightly and watches the two boys. He knew Billy had trust issues, it'd been obvious from the start, but he thought he'd made it clear that he was there to help, not hurt. He'd obviously failed.

“I don't know Hopper that well, but I can promise you that he's nothing like Neil,” Steve speaks up as he pushes himself closer to Billy. He throws a leg over Billy's thighs so he’s straddling him again and then lays down so his chin is resting on Billy's chest, “And if he is then I have a bat with his name on it.”

Billy reaches a hand up and cards it through Steve’s hair. They just watch each other for a while, snow slowly covering their bodies.

“I'm glad I came to Hawkins, only because I met you,” Billy confesses and Steve grins.

“Getting sappy now are we?” He teases with a quiet laugh.

The tenseness of the moment before dissipates and soon the two boys are throwing snow at each other once more. Hopper can feel a smile edging on his face as Billy lifts Steve and chucks him into a giant pile of snow, much to both of their amusement.

That's how they leave them, the two laughing as they explore the wonders of snow. Joyce takes his hand as they drive back to his house and he can feel one weight lift off his chest while another settles further.

He’d fix his relationship with Billy some way or another. He'd make it okay. For now he'd just settle for making sure the teenager's safe and going down a better path than he had been.

That's why when Billy walks through the door, four hours late and red from the cold, Hopper sends him a small smile and offers him a seat beside Jane on the couch. Billy doesn't sit down but he looks Hopper in the eyes for the first time in a long time, a small smile on his face.

Hopper takes it as a win.

**Author's Note:**

> I love this trash ship, hopefully you enjoy my trash writing. Comments fuel my writing so please help a gal out!


End file.
